Santa Ana police investigate a tip on a buried body in the backyard of a home on the 600 block of S. Center St in Santa Ana on Thursday.

A city truck is brought in to place pieces of cement from the backyard of a home as Santa Ana police investigate a tip on a buried body in the backyard of a home on the 600 block of S. Center St in Santa Ana on Thursday.

Fire fighters bring in a jack hammer and other tools to assist as Santa Ana police investigate a tip on a buried body in the backyard of a home on the 600 block of S. Center St in Santa Ana on Thursday.

Firefighters remove cement from the backyard of a home as police investigate a tip on a buried body in the backyard of a home on the 600 block of S. Center St in Santa Ana on Thursday.

Eduardo Santamaria own the home that Santa Ana police are investigating a tip that a body is buried in the backyard of a home on the 600 block of S. Center St in Santa Ana on Thursday.

Firefighters remove cement from the backyard of a home as police investigate a tip on a buried body in the backyard of a home on the 600 block of S. Center St in Santa Ana on Thursday.

Broadcast videographers gather near the police line as Santa Ana police investigate a tip on a buried body in the backyard of a home on the 600 block of S. Center St in Santa Ana on Thursday.

The search-rescue K-9 unit is brought in as Santa Ana police investigate a tip on a buried body in the backyard of a home on the 600 block of S. Center St in Santa Ana on Thursday.

Residents and citizens gather near the police line as Santa Ana police investigate a tip on a buried body in the backyard of a home on the 600 block of S. Center St in Santa Ana on Thursday.

Santa Ana police use their K-9 cadaver unit to investigate a tip on a buried body in the backyard of a home on the 600 block of S. Center St in Santa Ana on Thursday.

Santa Ana police use their K-9 cadaver unit to investigate a tip on a buried body in the backyard of a home on the 600 block of S. Center St in Santa Ana on Thursday.

Santa Ana police investigate a tip on a buried body in the backyard of a home on the 600 block of S. Center St in Santa Ana on Thursday.

Santa Ana police investigate a tip on a buried body in the backyard of a home on the 600 block of S. Center St in Santa Ana on Thursday.

Firefighters remove cement from the backyard of a home as police investigate a tip on a buried body in the backyard of a home on the 600 block of S. Center St in Santa Ana on Thursday.

SANTA ANA – Police are treating the backyard of a Santa Ana home where a tipster says a body may be buried as a crime scene.

Detectives received a tip Wednesday from an informant that 30 to 32 years ago a body was buried behind the residence in the 600 block of South Center Street, said Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.

Detectives contacted the owner of the home for the last 15 years who told them “I knew I would be talking to you,” Bertagna said Thursday afternoon.

The owner told detectives that about 10 years ago, workers in his backyard discovered two bones that were possibly human along with a knife, he added. The workers decided to discard the bones and knife, and the man did not notify the police.

Eduardo Santamaria, who said he owns the home, told reporters Thursday that workers found what appeared to be a foot-long leg bone belonging to an adult and knife.

Santamaria said he never saw the bones and that he didn’t notify police because he didn’t want to get into trouble.

A cement slab is over the area where it was reported that the bones were found.

A police cadaver dog, a 3-year-old yellow Labrador named Abby a made a positive hit Thursday morning for human remains where the slab is located, Bertagna said.

Holes were drilled into the 6-inch thick slab and Abby was brought back late Thursday afternoon to again detect remains near the slab.

“The dog has shown an interest,” Bertagna said.

“They’re digging holes,” Bertanga said, adding police will be at the house throughout the night. “They’re processing the scene as a crime scene.”

The sound of jackhammers could be heard and Orange County Fire Authority personnel could be seen drilling in the backyard of the home.

Detectives are reviewing missing person cases from 30 years ago in connection with the investigation, Bertagna said.

An Orange County coroner is expected to be at the excavation site Friday.

A native of California, Lauren attended Cal State Long Beach where she majored in journalism and political science. She briefly lived in Santiago, Chile where she edited an online magazine and worked as a translator for doctors from Malaysia following Chile's 8.8 earthquake in 2010. Lauren moved back to the states in 2011 and now lives in Long Beach. A runner, rock climber and board game enthusiast, Lauren is perpetually training for the next race day.

Scott Schwebke is a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and was previously a breaking news and multimedia reporter for the Ogden, Utah, Standard-Examiner. He has also worked at newspapers in Colorado, North Carolina and Virginia. A graduate of Brigham Young University, Scott is the Register's 2014 Beat Reporter of the Year. He has won more than two dozen journalism awards including the N.C. Associated Press News Council’s O. Henry Award for a lengthy narrative on the brutal home invasion slaying of a nurse and a Katie Award from the Dallas Press Club for a feature story on a UFO investigator. Scott has covered everything from methamphetamine trafficking cops to hurricanes and has accompanied police on undercover drug buys. He also provided an award winning, eyewitness account of the execution of a North Carolina death row inmate and obtained an exclusive interview with the ringleader of a brazen escape from the Orange CountyJail involving three maximum security inmates. Having spent two years living in England including Liverpool, he is an avid Beatles fan and memorabilia collector. He and his wife, Lisa, reside in Anaheim.

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